


Dancing Mad

by eriquin



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Character list updated as we go, Final Fantasy VI AU, Magic, Moogles, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Relationships updated as we go, tag abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-04-12 17:31:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4488420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eriquin/pseuds/eriquin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The ancient War of the Magi... When its flames at last receded, only the charred husk of a world remained. Even the power of magic was lost... In thousand years that followed, iron, gunpowder, and steam engines took the place of magic, and life slowly returned to the barren land... Yet there now stands one who would reawaken the magic of ages past, and use its dread power as a means by which to conquer all the world... Could anyone truly be foolish enough to repeat that mistake?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Narshe

**Author's Note:**

> If you've played Final Fantasy VI (FF3 on the SNES), this is basically the same plot but with characters from Supernatural, some tweaks, and and a lot of expansions. 
> 
> If you haven't ... The game features fourteen playable characters, each with their own backstory and abilities. There was no single protagonist driving the story. Here's hoping I can do the same with this story.
> 
> Feedback notes: If you see typos or conflicting information, feel free to leave a comment about it and I'll fix it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The collier town of Narshe discovers an ancient beast frozen in the mines.

Winter in Narshe lasts a hell of a long time. Rufus kept threatening to leave and find someplace sunny. And the townspeople kept electing him sheriff because they knew he’d never leave. Assholes.

Most of the time, he didn’t mind being sheriff. The town didn’t have a lot of crime. It was tight packed in the mountains and folks tended to take care of each other. The most work he had to do was rounding up groups of hunters to take care of the monsters in the mines. And the mines kept producing coal and ore so the town stayed alive. Twenty years ago there had been some issues with the Geshtalian Empire. The town had created a rather impressive militia to fight off a potential invasion. Instead, it had ended with a well-balanced peace treaty and regular shipments of coal south. Good for both sides. It was before Rufus’s time, but it worked as well as everything else around here, so that meant no one tried to fix it.

Everything ran like a well-oiled machine, until they found that damn thing. Frozen in ice at the end of a new tunnel, unearthed after blasting. It was bigger than any monster they’d seen in the mines, and difficult to see through the solid ice around it, but it had wings and claws. The miners pulled to more familiar ground and refused to get near it. They walled off the tunnel that led down to it and everyone agreed to never speak of it again.

Which meant, of course, that everyone in town knew within the week. And that all the traders coming into town for supplies carried off rumors. So whispers of ‘esper’ carried down to their other customers ears and across the sea. Rufus supposed that he shouldn’t have been surprised when the watch alert came. A small squad of the Empire’s walking war-engines were approaching the town in the dead of night. But it was too late to resign as sheriff. He gave orders to prep the town before the infernal machines arrived.

The Empire’s soldiers cut through town with disturbing ease and headed into the mine. Twenty years before, the town had held them to a stalemate. Tonight, one soldier was doing far and above more damage than any of the others, with single-minded focus. Rumors flowed both ways. If what he’d heard was true, the Empire based its weaponry on the magical capabilities of the user. If so the Empire had sent one of their magitek knights. Possibly even the witch. God help them if that was true.

The militia members regrouped and looked to him for guidance. The town council sure as hell wasn’t going to be of use. They all knew where the Empire was going; it was just a matter of how they were going to react. He broke them up into a couple of groups of regular miners and demolitions experts. He gave them orders to slow the soldiers’ progress by blocking key paths and then getting the hell away from them. With a little luck, they could route the invaders past the whelk nesting ground and it would take care of the problem for them.

But since luck was never a good strategy, he stepped away to write an encoded message to an old friend. If Narshe managed to hold off the Empire tonight, it would be temporary. And if the Empire got the esper, well that was news, too. Either way, the Returners would have to be told.

With the message sent and the squads sent in, all that was left to do was wait for word of their progress. So Rufus waited. And waited.

He got word that the whelk nest had barely slowed them down. The soldiers had cleared it out, with most of the work done by that one heavy hitter. And then there was no more news.

When Rufus hauled his exhausted ass up to the tunnels, he found one of the squads he’d sent in just past the empty whelk nest, waiting. And uninjured, which they could have bothered to tell someone, the inconsiderate punks. They had trailed the soldiers to the edge of the esper tunnel, then hidden there. The tunnel had exploded in silent, bright light. The squad had pulled back and were waiting to see what happened, and it had been an hour. Idiots. So Rufus went to check himself.

The esper was still there, still encased in ice. The armored suites had collapsed around it. Once they were in piles on the ground, it was impossible to tell which one had been the MVP. He went up to one and felt around until he found the release hatch. It popped open, and the inside contained one crispy-fried soldier body. Same thing with the second one. It was never going to be difficult to turn down bacon again.

But the third suit contained an unconscious young man with shaggy dark hair. He was barely more than a boy--maybe seventeen. He had a silver band that wrapped around the back of his head and braced at the temples. Rufus grunted and pulled it off. It sparked a bit when he did. “Slave crown,” he grumbled to himself. He pocketed the device and climbed up to get the man out of the armor. The guy was lanky and long, taller than any of the men in town. Rufus grabbed under his arms and hauled him up and out. Once he was laid out on the floor, Rufus sat down next to him and checked him over. He looked unharmed.

He called the squad over to help him bring the guy back to town. This was going to be impossible to deal with.

* * *

Two days passed, and the man didn’t wake. Rufus had him stashed in the back room of his house. The town council held an open meeting to discuss what to do with him. He’d gone to present what he knew about the empire, about slave crowns, and about how he had seen them control people. The council looked at him like he had three heads when he described it, though. They dismissed him and the rest of the public from the debate, shutting themselves in while they decided things.

He heard rumors that they had gotten a telegram from their imperial go-between about the attack. It had arrived the morning after and 'warned' about 'stolen armor.' It sounded like ass-covering to him. The council would take any excuse to preserve the peace and their lucrative trade contracts. They had probably locked themselves away to come up with terms for returning the prisoner.

So it was extra convenient when Rufus returned to his house and discovered that the prisoner was waking up.

“Sleeping beauty stirs!” he said. “Well done. I was starting to wonder if I should go looking for a princess to rouse you.”

The man sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He sat there, silently taking in his surroundings. He looked confused, but not panicked. That was a good start.

“Right, well, you’ve probably got a lot of questions. The short version is: My name’s Rufus. I’m the sheriff of Narshe, which is where you are. You know Narshe?” The young man shook his head. “That’s fine. It don’t matter much. Chances are you’re not staying long.”

Rufus pulled the slave crown out of a dresser. “You and two others busted through town in some magitek armor the other day and tried to raid our mines. Something took you out--don’t know what. But you were wearing this. Know what it is?”

His eyes flicked between the crown and Rufus’ face, trying to keep up. He shook his head again. “It’s a slave crown,” Rufus continued. “It robs you of conscious thought and makes you follow commands. It’s a nasty little piece of magitek and it’s not real common. The longer you wear it, the harder it is to recover from it, so I wouldn’t stand up too fast.”

This seemed to prompt him into getting to his feet. He grabbed the headboard as he did, gasped, and squeezed his eyes shut in pain. His free hand went to his forehead and he collapsed into a heap on the floor. Rufus tisked. “Or, you could ignore me like a dumbass,” he grumbled.

The man sat up and leaned back against the bed frame. He grimaced and rubbed his temples. “Sorry,” he said, “I just … I can’t remember anything. I thought I did but,” he sighed, “It’s gone.”

Rufus helped him up. “Amnesia is the usual side effect. The dizziness might be from not eating, though.” His stomach growled. “Yeah, let’s fix that up. You got a name?”

“Yeah,” he said, wincing and rubbing his head. “It’s Sam? I think.” He sighed. “It hurts to think.”

“Join the crowd. Come on, I’ve got stew.”

* * *

Sam ate three full bowls of stew while Rufus talked. He explained the attack, the frozen esper, and the rumors about bargaining with the Empire.

“But if I’m an imperial soldier, then I should go back, shouldn’t I?” Sam asked.

Rufus gave him a glare. “Someone in the Empire put a slave crown on you, robbed you of your will, and used you as a weapon. And you think you should go back so they can do it again?”

Sam looked startled. “Oh. Uh. No?”

Rufus sighed and got up. “I’m gonna need a drink for this.” He went to get a his whiskey.

Sam sat at the table, looking around the kitchen. It was small and cluttered, with one big window that faced south. Rufus’s house was up high on the cliff face with the back built into the rock, and he had a good view of the rest of the town. He could see the plains beyond the town gate and more mountains beyond that. It was evening, and the sun was setting and casting everything in gold.

Rufus came back after a couple of minutes and poured himself a glass. Sam pushed the remains of his stew around in the bowl. “I’d offer you some,” Rufus said, “But you’re gonna want to be sober for this next part.” He sniffed his glass and took a sip. “You don’t want to sit around here waiting for the town to hand you over. I mean, maybe you’re stupid and you do, but you really don’t. So I’m gonna pack you a bag and show you a back way out. And you’re gonna take it and get the hell out of here. Go through the caves and head for Harvelle Castle. It’s in the middle of the desert, southwest of here. You think you can handle that?”

Sam stared at him, wide-eyed. “Uh. Maybe?”

“That’s what I thought. Just make it through the caves. I’ll find someone to help you out.”

It took less than twenty minutes for Rufus to pack up supplies for Sam to take with him. He drank steadily as he did, and Sam followed him around, trying not to get in his way. Once he was satisfied with what he’d gathered, he handed the bag to Sam and beckoned him towards the back of the house. Sam helped him move a bookcase in the storage room. It opened up into an empty alley strewn with debris. Sam had to duck to get out through the hatch. The sun had set, so Rufus handed him a lantern.

“I’m going to finish this up,” he said, waving the bottle at Sam, “and then lay down on the couch in the front room. Pretend I never even heard of you. Give you a head start.” He gestured at the alleyway. “Go through that, across the bridge, and into the caves. Don’t be seen.” Rufus sized up the tall and gangly man. “Well, try.”

Sam looked between Rufus and the dark alleyway. He steeled himself and nodded to Rufus. “Thanks, I think.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rufus said, waving him off. Sam shouldered the bag and set off down the alleyway, keeping the lantern dark. Rufus shut the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Running Character list:
> 
> Sam Winchester as Terra Branford  
> Rufus Turner as Arvis


	2. The Caves of Narshe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam sets off from Rufus's house to try to escape Narshe unseen. Completely on his own, with no knowledge of the cave system around Narshe, and a nasty case of amnesia. He fails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dean introduced. Sam and Dean escape Narshe and the caves. No fight scene, unlike the game.

The alley behind Rufus’s house let out onto a wooden walkway that overlooked the street below. It was at least three stories down. There was a narrow bridge up the walkway that crossed over to the opposite side of the road. Then another walkway led down behind some houses. Sam had to double back a couple of times, ducking behind corners when he heard people coming. He tried to stick to the shadows. He had seen the cave entrance from the bridge, but getting there took the better part of an hour.

When he made it up there at last, he heard shouting from the streets below. He glanced back and saw people pointing up at him. Sucking in a breath, he ducked into the cave. He hoped they would have as hard a time getting up here as he had.

The cave started off with well-carved and lit tunnels, but he found a dark side tunnel to head down. Sam didn’t hear anyone following him, so he took his time and watched his step.

He had to backtrack a couple of times as he hit dead ends or the corridors became too narrow for him to squeeze through. He heard talking up one tunnel and made his way down another. He started feeling uneasy about his chances of getting out. Rufus’s instructions hadn’t been very clear about how to get through the caves. The twists and turns were maddening.

He heard voices again down his current tunnel, and another set when he turned back. There was a side tunnel with a warning sign on it, but he ignored it and ducked down there anyway. The voices were catching up to him. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he was pretty sure they'd seen the light from his lantern. He pushed on down this tunnel as his pursuers started catching up.

Sam missed a step and tripped. The ground beneath him gave out and he started to slide down an incline. He twisted around and covered his head, trying to keep a grip on the lantern. He was picking up speed as he slid and tumbled among the pebbles. Suddenly, there was nothing beneath him but empty space. He fell, braced to hit rock, but instead crashed into something padded and musty. He lay there, dazed, then shut his eyes and passed out.

* * *

Rufus’s plan had worked, from his end. Sure, they might think he was an irresponsible drunk, but he’d bet anything they’d still vote him in as sheriff next term.

He’d gone back to sleep after the councilmen had left, and now he awoke to someone in his kitchen. The intruder was going through his pots and pans like he owned the place. Rufus got up and grabbed the empty bottle, readying it like a weapon.

The kitchen contained a friendly face, though, and Rufus put the bottle down instead of smashing it over a skull. The man turned and waved a pan at Rufus as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes. “Wakey wakey eggs and bakey,” he said, giving Rufus an overly-chipper grin.

“I don’t eat bacon,” Rufus grumbled. “You know that, Dean.”

“Wakey wakey eggs and sadness, then.” Dean rummaged through his ice box. “At least you have eggs. And cheese. I can work with this.”

“You’re what the Returners sent me to deal with this? A thief?”

“I was closest,” Dean said, cracking eggs into a bowl. “And it’s ‘treasure hunter,’ thank you. Pass me the butter?”

Rufus got the butter dish off the table and put it next to the stove. Dean put a hefty pat of it in a frying pan and set about making scrambled eggs and toast for two. “Not that I don’t appreciate a home-cooked breakfast,” Rufus said, “But you might not want the delay when you hear the story.”

“Well, I had to wait for your drunk ass to wake up, so get on with it,” Dean said. Rufus gave Dean a murderous look. “I’ve been traveling all night and I need food. What happened? Talk while I cook. And make some coffee.”

Rufus complied with both requests. “What did you hear?”

“Blah blah Esper, blah blah Empire and magitek armor. They attacked, right? You’re still here, so it must not have gone so bad.”

“They wiped the floor with us,” Rufus said. Dean gave him a curious look and waited for him to continue. Rufus explained as best he could what happened and how no one knew what had stopped them. About how the one Imperial survived and he brought him back here, and then helped him escape.

“Wait, back up,” Dean interrupted as he scraped eggs onto two plates. “The witch? The Empire’s biggest weapon, and you helped him escape?”

“I was getting to that. The town council was going to send him back to the Empire. I sent him out into the west caves instead. The guards are probably searching for him now.”

Dean swore and chewed on his toast. “And you want me to go find him? Help an Imperial and do what, exactly?”

“He’s a kid, Dean. A lot younger than you, I think. And they had a slave crown on him for who knows how long. I tried to explain to the council that the Empire was controlling him, but they wouldn’t listen.” Rufus sighed leaned back in his chair. “This town could stand up to the Empire if they wanted to. They have the resources to fight them, but they’re too stubborn and independent to use them. Bring the kid to Harvelle Castle. Get him to the Returners. Maybe if they have an edge, Narshe will come around. I’ll stay here and keep them defending that damn frozen Esper.”

Once the meal was finished, Dean pushed his plate forward. “Yeah, ok. Guess I’d better go find him, then. What’s he look like?”

“I don’t know. He’s the only fool running around the western mines without a guard’s uniform on.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Come on, Rufus.”

Rufus sighed. “Long-ish brown hair, baby face, and tall. Taller than you. Prettier, too.”

“Excuse you,” Dean said, feigning offense.

Rufus chuckled. He got up and dumped their plates in his sink, then pulled out some liquor to add to his coffee. Dean gave him a raised eyebrow. Rufus shrugged it off. “Hair of the dog.” He offered the bottle to Dean.

Dean shook his head. “Next time. Right now I’ve gotta go save the Imperial witch from himself.” He pulled his jacket and pack back on.

Rufus nodded at him and sipped his doctored coffee. “Just hope he’s smart enough to avoid moogle territory.”

Dean sighed as he headed out, hoping Rufus hadn’t just jinxed him.

* * *

“I swear, I’m going to kill Rufus,” Dean said as his lantern lit up the ‘Warning -- Moogles’ sign. The guards had tracked Sam to this point, but had sense enough not to follow him. Moogles were cute and furry, sure. They also had sharp teeth and claws and tended to use them on anyone who ventured into their territory. Also, the caves in moogle territory were a mystery themselves. They tended to restructure themselves in a way that wasn’t completely natural.

Dean psyched himself up for a bit, then headed down the tunnel with the sign. He spotted the drop off and found a place nearby to anchor his rope. “Hey!” he shouted down into the dark. “Anyone down there?” All he got back was an echo. Dean sighed and resigned himself to climbing down.

The climb down was slow but not difficult. He could see where someone had slid down the cliff before, so he knew he was on the right track. With his lantern clipped to his belt, he could see a little ways ahead, but there was nothing to see but more tunnel. Dean grumbled to himself as he climbed. When he reached the end of his first rope, he attached a second one and hoped that he’d brought enough.

Dean made it to end of the slope with a little bit of rope to spare. The ground below was farther than it would reach, but he thought he could safely drop the last bit. Getting back would be harder, especially if this Sam kid was injured. He leaned back over the edge with the rope coiled around hand. With the other he held the lantern, and he stretched it out to get a look. There was a collapsed pile of something not-rock down there, but no people. “Hey, anyone there?” he called out, hoping someone would hear him if they couldn’t see his light. Still no answer, though. Dean swore to himself. “This will not end well.”

He rappelled down the cliff side until he got to the end of his rope. He then dropped the last few yards and landed lightly on his toes. He checked the pile of something. It looked like it had once been a structure of cloth and wood that had collapsed. There was a busted lantern there much like the one he carried. A trail in the dirt lead away, and Dean followed it.

It led through a series of caverns, and Dean could hear noises up ahead. It sounded like bubbling chatter, maybe even singing. He crept forward, painfully aware of the amount of noise he was making. There was a light up ahead, and he dimmed his lantern and followed it.

He peeked around a corner into a huge cavern, filled with more moogles than he’d ever seen. Dozens of the fluffy white beasts, congregating in groups of five or six. There were small ones here, about the size of large cats. There were also the big ones that sometimes ventured out and harassed miners. Those were usually the only ones people saw. Some groups were building things out of rock piles, dancing around them and rolling the rocks to each other. Some were wrestling like cats. Some pairs bopped their red pom-pom antennae things against each other and chattering. And sitting in the middle, next to one large moogle and a few little ones, was a person. He slouched over and and was smiling. A couple of the little moogles climbed him and played in his hair. That had to be Sam.

Dean hid in the shadows and tried to figure out how this was going to work. He searched for the light source. There was a crystalline rock structure on the ceiling of the cavern, glowing. He squinted at it, trying to see it better. His eyes were watering. And his nose itched. Dean realized what was happening about half a second before it did. He sneezed.

Fifty pairs of dark moogle eyes turned and stared at him. Dean froze, and then sneezed again.

The nearest group got down on all fours and started advancing on him, growling. Their claws scraped the stone floor.

“Oh, shit,” Dean said, stepping back.

“Woah, wait, wait!” Sam yelled. He stood up and started gesturing while the moogles ignored him. “Who are you?”

“I’m Dean Winchester,” he yelled back. The moogles drew closer, and baring their teeth. “I’m with the Returners. I’m here to rescue you!” He backed against a wall.

Sam tried to rush forward to help, but the groups closest to him moved in to block his way. He addressed the large one near him. “You have to stop them. He’s a friend!” The large moogle looked at him, then turned its attention back to Dean. The group nearest him crept closer.

Dean tried to edge his way along the wall, but there was another set on each side. With nowhere to go, he put his hand to his knives and braced himself for a fight. The brave stance was marred slightly by another flurry of sneezes. Dean swore again and tried to refocus.

The closest moogle to him stopped and sniffed. It’s red bobble swayed back and forth and the little pink wings on its back flared out. It sat up on its hind legs and sniffed again. Then it burbled in moogle-speak to the others, a trill of ‘ku’s and ‘po’s. The other moogles changed their posture as well, sniffing at Dean and waddling closer.

Dean drew his knives, but Sam yelled at him. “Don’t hurt them,” he said. “They’re just checking you out.”

Dean sneezed as he tried to reply, nearly cutting himself with one of his own knives. The moogles moved closer, and he raised his hands over his head and sneezed some more. They pawed at his clothes. Sam made his way through the group. “Did they do this to you?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, give them a sec.”

The moogles snuffled him some more, and then stumbled back and burbled at him and each other. He slowly lowered his arms and put his knives back away. “Do you understand them?”

“Nope, not a clue. But they’ve been nice to me.” Sam winced as another small moogle climbed the leg of his pants. “They’re kind of sharp, though.”

“Yeah, they’re usually,” Dean sneezed again, “... territorial as fuck.” He rubbed his eyes. “Gah, it’s worse than cats.”

Sam snickered. “Right. Sorry about that.”

“Guess you don’t need much of a rescue. What happened?”

“I crashed into one of the things that they built and passed out. I woke up here.” Sam shrugged and rubbed his neck. “Are they really dangerous? They seem so … cute.”

“Hah, yeah, they’re adorable,” Dean said, sneezing again. “But they’ll tear you up if you get too far down their tunnels. Usually.” The moogles were ignoring them now. “Everyone knows that. Guess you’re not from around here.”

“Guess not.” Sam frowned in concentration. “Actually, I don’t know where I’m from. Maybe I am from around here.”

Dean edged his way around the moogle groups. He sized Sam up. “Rufus said they had a slave crown on you for a long while. You really don’t remember where you’re from?”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t remember anything. There are bits and pieces but …” He waved his hand and trailed off.

“Amnesia, huh?” Dean looked away, around the cavern, searching for an exit that wasn’t back the way they came. “Well, don’t worry about it too much. It’ll all come back to you, I’m sure.” When he looked back at Sam, the man didn’t seem reassured.

“I just feel like my mind’s trapped in a fog,” Sam said, frowning. He stared at his feet and hunched his shoulders, shrinking in on himself.

“Hey, man,” Dean said, patting his shoulder. “It’ll be ok. I’ll stick by you. Your memory will come back, and I’ll watch out for you like it was my job. Got it?”

Sam gave him a weak smile and nodded. “Thanks.” Dean grinned back at him, then sneezed again. “Oh, gross,” Sam said, wiping off his face.

Dean started laughing and turned away when he had another sneezing fit. Sam wiped his hand off on the back Dean’s jacket. “Let’s get out of here so I can breathe again,” Dean said.

“I think the only way out is the back the way we came in,” Sam said. “All the other tunnels look kinda small.”

Dean sighed. “Hope you’re good at free climbing, then.”

They backtracked through the tunnels until they got to Sam’s crash site. A couple of mid-sized moogles followed them. When they got to the point where Dean had dropped down, they checked over the rock wall. Dean found a path up the wall that he could climb, but even with a couple of demonstrations, Sam couldn’t make it up to follow him.

The moogles sat back and watched. Sam was certain that their chattering was laughter at his inability to climb the wall. After his eighth time falling down, he kicked at the wall. “This is impossible. You should go on without me, and I’ll find another way.”

Dean chewed on his bottom lip. “I could maybe go back to town and get another rope, but it’ll take a while. And I don’t know what the guards are gonna do in the meantime. They’re still looking for you. You’re better off staying here until I get back.”

“I thought we were in a rush? I can find a different path up.”

“With what lantern? Yours broke.”

One of the moogles wandered off while Sam and Dean argued. It chirped until it got their attention. When they looked up, it started a shuffling dance. A distant rumbling started up after the first few steps. Right when the moogle slammed it’s paws down to finish, the wall in front of it cracked open. Sam and Dean jogged over to see. The path that had opened up was low and wide and an easy slope going up. Dean stared up it, gaping.

Sam turned to the moogle. “This is for us?” The moogle bobbed it’s antennae around in answer. “This is amazing. Did you know they could do that?” he asked Dean.

“Don’t geek out about it, just go before it decides to close it up again.” Dean pulled Sam towards the new tunnel.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Thanks, moogles,” he said, crouching down low enough to fit in the tunnel. He waved before starting his climb.

Dean nodded. “Yeah, much obliged,” he said, “And thanks for not, you know, killing us.” He followed Sam up, hoping that the moogle wouldn’t change its mind about that last bit.

“This is just so astounding,” Sam said from up ahead, sounding a little out of breath. “It’s got to be some kind of magic, right?”

Dean grumbled but climbed on after him. The tunnel let out right next to the drop off, so Dean gathered his rope back up. He led them out without encountering any more guards. The exit was a narrow gap that was hard to see from a distance, and far from the town gates. He pointed out some landmarks to Sam so that he could find it again, if necessary.

Dean found a bag packed with camping supplies and extra clothes in his regular hiding place. He left a note of thanks for Rufus in its place, handed the bag off to Sam, and they both set off walking south.

* * *

They walked for most of the day, keeping off the main road. Dean led them through a valley with snow-capped mountain ridges on either side. He told Sam how the eastern mountains weren’t wide, and on the other side of them was a series of lakes and rivers. Boats carried goods up and down them from the port town of Nikeah to the southeast. The only memory it triggered in Sam was of traveling up the river before attacking Narshe. He had been below deck for most of it, though, so he couldn’t say how they got past Nikeah’s canal system undetected.

Their path south opened up onto a vast hilly grassland. Dean explained that dozens of ranchers grazed cattle up and down the length of it, and kept had their homesteads along the road. They continued to stay away from the main road, and made camp in a rocky dip between some hills. 

“The land around here isn’t great for farming, but the cows do okay,” Dean said as he started a campfire. Sam nodded and busied himself trying to figure out their camping gear.

He was still inspecting it when Dean finished with the campfire. Dean watched him separate out the bedrolls, blankets, tarps, and tent poles and stare at them. Sam noticed his barely-suppressed snickering. “Uh, a little help?”

“Not a big camper?”

“Apparently not. None of this is clicking for me.”

“Well, we’ll probably be fine without the tent, so skip it. Just lay out the bedrolls first, then blankets on top of them. They fasten on the side.”

Sam did as instructed and Dean prepped dinner and got it cooking in the fire. “I don’t think I’ve done anything like this before,” Sam said.

Dean gave him a confused look. “Like what?”

Sam sighed and sat down next to the fire. “Like, any of this,” he said, gesturing at the campsite. “Made a bed? Hiked through fields. Slept outdoors.” He leaned back on his hands and stared up at the stars. “It’s pretty great.”

“Sounds like you were pretty sheltered.”

“I guess. It’s weird, though. I don’t remember what I did from day to day, but I know when something’s new.” He looked over at Dean. “Is that weird?”

Dean shrugged. “I’ve got no idea.” He checked the pot. “Food’s ready.” He dished out two bowls of savory porridge and handed on to Sam.

“So, you’re from around here?” Sam asked.

“Eh, sort of.” Dean held his spoon between his teeth and fidgeted with it while Sam waited for him to continue. “I mostly grew up in South Harvelle, which is, well, directly south of here, but there’s a mountain range in the way.” He gestured towards the horizon. “And I lived in Harvelle Castle for a while as a teenager. That’s where we’re headed. But I came up to Narshe a lot, so I know the area.”

Sam nodded. “Why’d you join the Returners?” Dean raised his eyebrows at the question, and Sam wondered if that was rude. “I mean, I don’t know much about them. Just that they oppose the Empire. I figured I should learn more …” he trailed off and looked away from Dean’s scowl.

“It wasn’t a hard choice for me. I’ve been practically raised by the guy who runs it. And the Empire destroyed my village when I was four. My dad and I barely made it out. The rest of my family … didn’t.” 

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well …” Dean fished around in his pack for a flask and took a drink from it. He handed it off to Sam to try. “That was the start of it, but there’s been more. Wherever the Empire goes, it destroys lives. Yours too.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Sam took a sip from the flask, then coughed from the burn of it. Dean laughed and took the flask back.

“You’ll see for yourself, probably.” Dean took another drink and capped the flask. “They’re going to be after you now. You can join up with the Returners too, if you want. Or you can strike out on your own. Your choice.”

“My choice.” Sam sighed. “That sounds nice.”

Dean nodded as he finished his meal. “Free will can be a bitch sometimes, but it’s better than the alternative.” He took Sam’s empty bowl and started cleaning up. “Anyway, get some rest. I’m going to try to get us to Roni Woods tomorrow. It’ll take us a day to get through it, and then we’ll get some chocobos to get to Harvelle Castle. It’s in the middle of the desert, so walking there isn’t fun.”

Sam’s eyes lit up. “I’ve never ridden a chocobo before.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s super exciting,” Dean deadpanned. Sam’s face fell. “Sorry, dude. You’ll see what I mean when we get them.”

They each picked a bedroll and Dean double checked around the campfire for ember risks. He put a large log on so it would burn low until morning, and settled down to sleep.

It was quiet, except for the crackling of the low-burning fire. Sam started with the questions. “So, are there monsters around here?”

Dean opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. “Nothing big enough to worry about. S’why the fire’s still going.”

“Oh.” Sam was quiet for a while longer. “Why do you think the moogles didn’t attack us?”

Dean shrugged. “No idea. We can check at Harvelle Castle. They might have someone who knows.”

“What’s the castle like?”

“S’big.” Dean yawned. “You’ll see it.”

Sam hummed in thought. “Do they have someone there that studies monsters?”

“Probably. They’ve got a whole library and scholars and stuff.”

“They have a library?” Sam sat up. “Is it big? Can I see it?”

“For fuck’s sake, just go to sleep.” Dean rubbed his face and turned his back to Sam.

Sam snickered and laid back down. “Good night, Dean.”

“G’night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've really gotta start actually writing up summaries. Maybe I'll go back later and fix that.
> 
>  
> 
> Running Character list:
> 
> Dean Winchester as Locke Cole  
> Sam Winchester as Terra Branford  
> Rufus Turner as Arvis


	3. Harvelle Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Sam make it to Harvelle Castle and meet the Queen. Sam gets a library card. Dean gets dessert.

They made it to the edge of Roni Woods the next day. After camping for the night, Dean decided they were probably far enough along to hop back on the road. They made good time through the forest, and found a little outpost on the other side. There, Sam found out why Dean had so down on chocobos. The giant yellow birds made great steeds, able to traverse most terrain at fast speeds, but they were loud and smelly. Sam was still excited about them, though.

“Do we head out today?”

“No, we don’t want to try to camp in the desert. It gets too cold and I don’t have the gear for it. We’ll go in the morning.”

They stayed overnight at the outpost, paying a little extra to bathe and get some of the trail stink off of them. Dean also found some clothes that would fit Sam. Other than his Imperial uniform, everything he had was Dean’s. It was all too short in the legs and too tight in the shoulders.

“You’re meeting a queen tomorrow, Sam,” Dean explained. “You have to look decent.”

They slept indoors and in decent beds that night. The next day, they got their chocobos and set off across the desert towards Harvelle Castle. Once Sam got the hang of riding and they got going, Dean couldn’t hide his own enthusiasm. They flew across the dunes at top speed, with the wind cooling them off in the baking sun. The path was marked with timbers and boulder piles visible from a distance. Get to one, and you could spot the next one, Dean explained. But he was fairly confident that he knew the way. They could see Harvelle castle by lunchtime, but it took another hour’s travel to get to the fortress.

As they approached the gates, the guards recognized Dean and let them through. He handed their chocobos off to a stable hand and led Sam into the castle. A maid led them into a guest room and brought them some fresh drinking water and a snack.

Sam groaned and wiped his face off with a wet cloth from the bathroom. They were both covered in dust and sweat from the ride. “I need another bath after that.”

“Yeah, they’ll expect us get cleaned up before we meet the queen, so go ahead.”

“Wait,” Sam said. “If they’re going to let us bathe here, why did you spring for a bath yesterday?”

Dean shrugged. “Dude. You reeked. It was one thing out in the open air but if I was going to have to sleep in an enclosed room with you …” Sam gave him a dry fuck-you look. “What?”

“Nevermind.”

“That’s why I got you extra clothes. Go get cleaned up. Queen Ellen wants us to join her for dinner in a couple of hours.”

* * *

Dinner with the queen was not a formal affair. It was four people around a small table: Sam, Dean, Ellen, and her chief engineer, Ash. The servants brought in a few plain dishes and uncorked a bottle of wine, and then Ellen dismissed them. She poured glasses for the men and everyone served themselves.

“You boys came a long way,” she said. “Eat up. We’ll talk business when we’re digesting.”

Sam ate quietly, listening to the others talk. Dean and Ash were close in age and most of their interactions involved good-natured insults. Ellen seemed relaxed. She’d shrugged off her suit jacket and didn’t wear a crown. She only chided Dean and Ash once, when their teasing started to involve food-throwing.

“Not at my table, boys,” she said. Dean and Ash both sat up straighter and apologized.

“Huh,” Sam said. “I didn’t know Dean had manners.”

Ellen snorted. “He’d better. I helped raise that boy.” She took a sip of wine. “Ash, though, is not my fault.”

Dean rolled his eyes. He shoveled a fork full of food into his mouth and gave Ash a ‘here we go again’ look.

Ash grinned. “I’m just here for the tech, man. Don’t know why I need people skills.”

“Lucky for us that you don’t.” Ellen said. “What’d Dean tell you about this place?”

“Uh,” Sam started, gathering his thoughts. “Nothing much, really. He said he lived here as a teenager. Oh, and I hear there’s a library?”

Ellen grinned. “Yeah, you can see the library later. We do a lot of research here and engineering. Lots of machines, most of them my late husband’s designs. Ash has expanded on them, though. We’ve got a trade treaty with the Gestahlian Empire, too.”

Dean sighed. “Are we going talking business now?”

“Might as well. I think we’re finished eating.” Ash started gathering empty plates and putting them on the side table.

“What, no dessert?” Dean pouted.

Ellen tisked at him. “You could go without a couple of dessert.”

Dean look aghast. “I haven’t had dessert in weeks! Come on, Ellen, tell me your cook has something.” He gave her a pleading look. Ash snickered. “If not for me, then for poor, deprived Sammy here. Tell them how the Empire has never fed you pie!”

“Uh,” Sam started. Dean winked at him.

Ellen rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. Dean grinned. She got up and poked her head out of the door. She asked the footman to bring them whatever dessert the cooks had leftover. Dean yelled for pie, and Ellen gave him a warning look and pointed a finger at him. “You get what you get, and …?”

Dean grumbled. “I don’t get upset.”

“That’s right.”

“How do you manage to make me feel like I’m six whenever I visit?”

“Karen and I used to share parenting tips.” Ellen smiled and sat back down at the table.

Dean nodded and gave her a little smile. Sam looked between them both. “Who’s Karen?” he asked. Ellen raised her eyebrows in Dean’s direction, and he frowned. Ash sucked in a breath and took a sip of his wine. “Sorry, was I not supposed to ask?”

“No, it’s fine,” Dean said. “Karen and Bobby raised me after what happened to my family. She passed away a few years ago, and I came to live here. You’ll probably meet Bobby later.”

“Yeah, ‘specially if you join up with the Returners,” Ash added. “He’s their leader in South Harvelle.”

“And Ash here handles any Returner stuff in the castle,” Dean said.

“When I let him,” Ellen interrupted.

“Yeah, Her Highness doesn’t like us talking about this out in the open,” said Ash, “so keep it on the D-L.”

Sam furrowed his brow. “Wait, is Harvelle allied with the Empire, or the Returners? I don’t understand.”

Ellen chuckled. “Ash, you want to explain it? Your rants are always so colorful.”

“Aw, shit,” Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s like this: Harvelle has a trade treaty with the Empire. Mostly it’s them buying shit from us, but sometimes we get metal and stuff from them. They don’t export their tech, but fuck them because our shit’s better anyway. But it’s safer to officially be allies with them until the Returners get their shit together and get an alliance or an army or something.”

“You know, for someone actually in the Returners, you don’t sound like a big fan,” Sam said. Ellen snorted and covered her mouth.

Ash sighed. “I’m just ready for something to happen, that’s all.”

“Something’s already happening, dumb ass,” Ellen said. There was a knock at the door and she made rapid throat-cutting motion at them before answering it.

The footman brought in a tray of small fruit tarts and set them on the table. Dean’s eyes lit up. “It’s not pie, but I’ll take it.”

Ellen thanked the footman and dismissed him. She locked the door behind him and turned back to see Dean shoving a pear tart into his mouth. He pretended to look embarrassed about it, but slipped another onto his plate at the same time.

“So, uh,” Sam said, taking a tart for himself. “What’s happening already?” Ellen gave him an incredulous look. “I mean, you were just saying that something’s already happening, so …”

“You’re what’s happened, sweetheart,” she said, chuckling. “You breaking ranks with the Empire. From what I hear, you were a pretty big deal to them.”

Sam chewed on his lip. “I didn’t break ranks, though. I just … woke up.”

“Same diff,” Ash said though a mouthful of cherry tart. “You’re AWOL as far as they’re concerned. Sure they’re saying you went after the esper on your own, but it still looks bad for them, 'cause you did it with two other soldiers and three sets of magitek.”

Ellen noticed Sam’s startled look and patted his arm. “No one thinks you did that on your own. Most people think you took a lucky opportunity to defect. And the details of the slave crown are already coming out, too. They’re going to have a hell of a PR job on their hands after that.”

“That’ll be a nice break for us, after what happened in Tzen,” Dean said.

Ash nodded. “They’re fantastic at spin but this wouldn’t spin for a siren. The esper freaked them. They were just too desperate.”

“What happened with it, anyway?” Ellen asked.

Sam let out a sigh. “I don’t remember. I mean, there’s a feeling of something big, and a bright white light, but that’s it.”

“Well, don’t worry yourself about it,” she reassured him. “It’ll come in time.” She turned to Dean. “Other than Narshe, what news do you have for us?”

Dean took a drink and wiped his mouth before starting to talk. “Doma’s committed to the Returners. Through them we’re coordinating every state north of Baren Falls. They’ve got a big army and more in reserves. With Doma in, Nikeah’s ready to commit it’s navy. They just wanted some guarantee for the city if they set sail. Kohlingen’s been ready for a long time, but their army has always been too small and too far away to make a move. Mobliz might send some specialists, but they’re not ready for complete buy-in to the cause. And Jidoor …” He gave a noncommittal wave. “Never know where they’re going to go. They’re so close to the Empire that it’s probably just best to hope they’ll be neutral.”

“That’s good, though,” Ash said. “That’s almost the whole continent.”

Ellen hummed. “It’s a lot of moving pieces and not a lot of leadership. They’re not going to listen to Bobby. He’s too ornery.”

“They’d listen to you,” Dean said.

Ellen stared at the glass in front of her. “No, they would’ve listened to Bill.” Sam exchanged a look with Dean that clued him in and he didn’t ask for details. Ellen shrugged the mood off and sat back in her chair. “But it’s not like Jo’s here, so we’ll just have to muddle on.”

“Not like anyone’d listen to Jo, either,” Ash said. “She’s too young.” Ellen glared at him and he blanched. “You know, I just remembered that I meant to do something down in the lab tonight.” He got up and started for the door.

“Wait a sec,” Dean said, standing up to follow him. “I have that slave crown back in my room. I want you to take a look at it before I forget. Ellen, you ok with Sammy here?”

“Sure, I’ll show him around the castle a bit.” He leaned over to give Ellen a kiss on the cheek and she waved him off. When he moved past the table, the rest of tarts on the plate disappeared.

Ellen noticed it after Dean had left the room, and gave an exasperated huff. She wiped her hands and stood up, gesturing for Sam to follow her.

She led him to the top terrace of the castle. The moonlight reflected off the white sands and everything still looked bright. There was a chill breeze, and Sam was glad he’d held on to the cloak from his Imperial outfit.

“It’s nice up here,” Ellen said, breaking the silence. “I come up here to ditch the staff and thing clear my head. I used to sneak out to smoke up here, but I gave it up.”

“You’re really not what I pictured when Dean said we were meeting the queen,” Sam said. “Though, I don’t claim to know what I should have expected. I don’t think I’ve met royalty before.”

Ellen snorted. “I wasn’t born royalty, you know. I ran a bar in South Harvelle. Bill used to visit in disguise.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Technically, I’m Queen Regent. My daughter, Jo, should have been crowned after Bill died, but she was too young at the time. And then she ran away before she turned eighteen, so here I am still.” She leaned over the parapet, staring off to the southeast.

“She left?”

“She wanted her freedom. She’d never really taken to the whole princess thing, and it just got worse with Bill gone. She wanted revenge, and then when she couldn’t have that she wanted out.”

“And you didn’t go after her?”

“I had a country to run. But I have a decent idea of where she is, and I get letters sometimes. Maybe if this Returner thing works out, she’ll come back and get involved. It’s her style.” Ellen turned back to Sam and took him by the arm. “Come on, let’s get back inside.”

Ellen led him down a back staircase that was clear of any servants. Sam followed in silence for a bit building the courage to ask for more details. “You said that Jo wanted revenge. Was it the Empire?”

Ellen sighed. “I take it you’ve been hearing a lot of that, huh? Well, it’s a little more complicated than that. Bill was on a diplomatic mission to the Empire, but he was also a Returner collaborator. He was much more reckless about things, though. His main bodyguard was a Returner, and had a hell of a grudge against the Empire. There was a ‘tragic accident,’ they said. But his entourage came back uninjured, and I never got a straight story from that bodyguard. He left the Returners shortly after.”

“So you think the bodyguard killed him?”

Ellen sucked in a breath and stopped walking. “No. I think he was so involved in whatever he was doing there that he got Bill killed. It amounts to the same thing, though.” She started walking again, beckoning Sam to catch up. “Now, I heard you wanted to see the library.”

* * *

Dean found Sam there later, sitting as a table stacked high with books. He checked out the subjects, and found non-fiction was the only theme. There were a couple of history books, engineering ones, and ones about natural sciences. One with a weird name turned out to be a math journal. “Dude,” he said. Sam looked up, having just noticed him. “You know we’re not here that long, right?”

Sam looked down at the book in front of him, then at the rest of the pile. “I read fast, I think?”

“And do you sleep fast, too?”

“What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know. Come on, our room’s ready and it’s late.” Dean drummed his hands on the top of the book pile, earning a reproachful shushing from the librarian. He held his hands up and feigned contriteness in response.

Sam closed the book he’d been reading but didn’t put it back on the pile. He quietly got permission to take it with him, then followed Dean out of the library.

“So what is that one?” Dean asked as he led them down the hall towards their room.

“History of Harvelle Castle. It only current up to about fifty years ago, but it goes back a long way. I thought it might be a good place to start.”

Dean shrugged. “I guess, but if it’s old they probably won’t let it out of the castle,” he said, unlocking their room. “And we’re heading to South Harvelle tomorrow.”

“Actually,” Sam said, “I was thinking of staying here.”

“What?” Dean asked, stopping just inside the room. Sam had to sidestep to avoid running into him. “Why?”

Sam stared at his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I mean, it’s safe here. It’s isolated and defendable, and Ellen said they’d give me asylum if I wanted it.”

“Yeah, but …” Dean started pacing the length of the room. “Harvelle is an ally of the Empire. If they gave you asylum, it’d screw that up real fast. Like, declaration-of-war fast.”

“But that’s where they’re going anyway, with the Returner alliance.”

“Well, yeah, maybe, but that’s not all put together yet. And it might be contingent on an actual Empire defector on our side.”

Sam sighed. “I thought it was my choice.”

Dean grimaced. “Yeah, it’s your choice, but that doesn’t mean I don’t tell you when you’re making a stupid choice.”

“I just feel like you’re expecting me to be a lot more useful than I can be,” Sam said, straightening up and looking down at Dean. “I don’t remember anything, remember?”

“I know that. But hiding out here will cause Ellen and her people a lot of problems. The Empire is bound to come looking for you. They’re probably on their way now.”

Sam slouched back down and sat on the bed that was still neatly made. “They might not be. You hid our path pretty well.”

“Except for the outpost yesterday and the chocobo stables. 'Hey, did a stupidly tall guy come through here recently?' 'Yeah, we hung out in the shade he cast over the town for a bit and then he headed into the desert in the direction of the only major settlement you can find in there.'”

Sam put his head in his hands. “I stand out, don’t I?”

Dean snorted. “I mean, it could be worse. You could have green hair or something.”

Sam folded his hands in front of his face for a bit and looked pensive. “Do you think we could just stay here for a bit longer, though?” he asked. “I’m kind of tired of traveling.”

Dean conceded. “I’ll check with Ellen in the morning, but I don’t think she’ll have a problem with it. We’ll have to lay low if anyone from the Empire shows up, though. I mean figuratively, of course.”

“Was that another tall joke?” Sam said, kicking off his shoes and sitting back on the bed.

“Maybe?”

“It sucked.” Sam opened his book back up. “The shading-the-town one was better.”

“Yeah, it was a stretch.” Dean yawned and started getting ready for bed. “Don’t stay up too late reading. You’ll ruin your eyes.”

Sam rolled his eyes and leaned back to read more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ellen Harvelle as Edgar Figaro  
> Ash as Figaro Castle Engineer  
> Dean Winchester as Locke Cole  
> Sam Winchester as Terra Branford  
> Rufus Turner as Arvis


	4. Imperial Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvelle Castle is just full of surprise visitors lately. Ellen makes some calculated decisions.

Dean didn’t get a chance to talk to Ellen directly the next day, but he sent a message and got a response. They were welcome to stay for as long as they liked. Sam went back to the library, and Dean took his time preparing for a trip back to South Harvelle. He talked to Ash about Sam staying at the castle. Ash didn’t like it, either.

“Man, it’s hard enough keep the Returner stuff secret when we get Empire people here. Now I’m supposed to hide a defector in this place, too?” He drummed his hands on his workbench and started fiddling with one of the machines there. “Didn’t Bobby want to talk to him?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure I can convince him to move on now that he has seen the splendor that is Harvelle Castle,” Dean said. He shoved a pile of grease-encrusted parts aside so he had a place to sit on the bench. “Did I ever tell you how long it took to get the sand out of my clothes when I finally moved out of here?”

“You did, but you didn’t say clothes,” Ash said. He smirked but didn’t look up from his work.

“Yeah, yeah, Doctor Dumbass.” Dean shoved Ash’s chair with his foot. Ash made a rude gesture at him but still didn’t look up.

There was a knock at the door and one of the junior engineers let herself in without waiting for an answer. “Uh, Chief,” she said, sounding shaken. “The Prime Minister sent orders to get all the engines ready. He says there’s an envoy from the Empire here, and …”

Dean was on his feet before she could finish, swearing and pushing past her. He ducked down one of the underground hallways that connected the engineering center to the library. It was a service hallway and let out in the back of the stacks. He found Sam again surrounded by books, and pulled him away with only quiet protests. Once back in the service halls, he explained what was going on.

“They’re here already?” Sam asked, bewildered. “How did they find us so fast?”

“Don’t know, don’t care. We just gotta get out of sight.” He led Sam down back the way he’d come, into Ash’s workshop. Ash shut the door behind them. He’d sent all his junior engineers out.

“Well, compadres,” Ash drawled, “it sounds like the Empire’s stooge is here on a rou-tine visit, and the letter of notification just got lost.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Look, stash Sam somewhere safe and I’ll go listen in on what’s going on.”

“Don’t I get a say in this?”

“No,” Dean said firmly. He changed into one of Ash’s extra double-breasted lab coats, complete with soot burns.

Ash chuckled and handed him a spare toolkit. “You know how to fake it?”

“Don’t start that with me,” he grumbled. “Sammy, listen to Ash. I mean … for now.”

Disguised as one of Ash’s engineers, Dean found his way down to the hall of meeting chambers. One of the pages pointed him at the room where the Ellen and the envoy from the Empire were conversing. He doubled back to find an entrance to the mechanical access crawlspaces. From the right spot and with the right tools, he could listen in and still look like he belonged there.

Ellen sounded annoyed. “I’m fairly sure that we sent these reports months ago. Our manufacturing output could be increased with a bigger influx of raw materials, but until we get those there’s nothing we can do. That’s the short of it.”

“Yes, of course,” said the man from the Empire. His voice had a slight drawl to it, and it made Dean’s skin crawl. “We just had some questions on the numbers.”

“I’m sure my expert accountants can go over them with you. They’re in South Harvelle, with our warehouses. I’ll get you a writ to take to them right away. Was there anything else?” Dean heard Ellen’s chair scrape as she got up. The ministers got up with her, but the Imperials did not.

“Yes, actually,” he said. “There’s someone I’m looking for. A young man of little importance. I heard he headed out into the desert, so I immediately thought of you. Has he found his way here?”

“This have anything to do with the witch I heard attacked Narshe a couple days ago?”

“Rumors and gossip. He merely stole something from us, and we’d like it back. Is he here?”

Ellen chuckled. “Well, it’s hard to say. There are lots of young men in this castle, trying to catch my eye.” There was some movement and more chairs shuffling. “Caleb, get a writ for the Lieutenant General party to talk to our staff in South Harvelle. I’m sure they’ll want to set out soon.”

“We’d prefer to stay and search the castle for our thief.”

Ellen tisked. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” More sounds of movement followed.

“You only stand to lose by hiding him from us,” the Imperial said. It sounded calm and quiet, but carried over the other noise nonetheless.

All movement stopped. “I don’t appreciate your tone, sir.”

The man gave a cold laugh. “Of course not. Well, once again, I am impressed by Harvelle Castle.” He and his retinue gathered up to leave. “I hope it’s still here when I return,” he said on his way out.

Dean waited until the room had cleared out before making his way out of the crawlspace. He found Ellen waiting for him, alone. He didn’t bother looking sheepish about it.

“Thought you’d be listening in. How much did you hear?”

“I heard him threaten the castle, but I’m not sure I believe it. That’s ballsy.”

“Where’s Sam?” she asked quietly.

“I left him with Ash.” Ellen furrowed her brow at him in disbelief. “It was short notice, ok? At least he’s out of sight.”

“All right, well,” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Go wait down there with him and make sure Ash hasn’t started experimenting on him or something. I’ll send word once the Empire has left and we’ll plan what to do now.”

Dean gave her a mock salute and went back down to the workshop. Ash had gotten Sam fiddling with a basic machine and was explaining concepts. Sam didn’t even seem bothered by it. Instead, he was completely engrossed. Dean had to clear his throat twice to get their attention. Once he broke their concentration bubble, he explained what had happened. They conferred on what to do.

“You were right,” Sam said. “I never should have come here.”

“Aw, it ain’t that bad.” Ash patted him on the arm. “At least something interesting is happening.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Always looking on the bright side, huh?”

“So, should I go out on my own?” Sam asked.

“No way, dude,” Dean said. “I’m sticking with you until you get your memory back, remember?”

“I think your best bet is to head down to South Harvelle and find Bobby,” Ash said, fidgeting with the simple machine they’d been toying with earlier. “Ellen’ll make sure you’ve got supplies for the trip, I’ll bet.”

“That’s nice and all but if that’s where the Empire is going, shouldn’t we not go there?” Sam asked.

“They’re not going to South Harvelle,” Dean said. “They’re probably not going far from Harvelle Castle. We’ll need to sneak past them, which will be tough.”

“More like impossible,” Ellen said, letting herself into the workshop. She considered the state of the place and chose to lean up against the door instead of sitting. “They left too easily. This group is used to the desert and will set up a camp to watch people trying to sneak out. Let’s not look so guilty about it. You two should stay here for a bit and lay low. They won’t be able to wait us out for long, and we’ve got a regular caravans that come through every couple of days. Unless they’re ready for all-out war, we’ll be able to sneak you both out on one of those.”

“They made a threat against the castle, though,” Sam pointed out. “Doesn’t that imply they’re ready to go to war?”

Ellen shrugged. “I don’t think he has the authority or the firepower to do anything. It’s important news for the Returners, though. The Empire is pretty desperate to get you back if they’re resorting to threats.”

Sam frowned and bowed his head. “Maybe I should just go back to the Empire. You’d all be better off.”

“Don’t be dumb,” Dean said, cuffing the back of his head. “We’ve been over this.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Ellen added. “Dean, you and Sam stay in your room for now. I’ll assign some people you know to guard it. Ash, I need you to have all our engines working and ready to go in a moments notice, just in case.”

“What engines? What do they do?” Sam asked. Ash grinned and winked at him, leaving without answering.

Ellen chuckled at him. “You’ll just have to wait and see, boy,” she said. “Can’t give away all our secrets.”

* * *

Sam and Dean stayed in their room the rest of the day. Servants brought them books and meals when requested. Sam spent the time reading. Dean busied himself packing their things, saying that he wanted to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Once he had everything together and double-checked, though, he got bored. Sam’s books didn’t interest him. Dean eventually pestered Sam into putting down his book and playing cards with him. After losing a few rounds, Sam threw his hand down in disgust.

“Ellen was right. You are a thief!”

“Hey!” Dean said, scooping up the pennies he’d won. “I’m a treasure hunter, and it has nothing to do with you sucking at poker.”

“Whatever. This is probably my first time playing, anyway.”

“It’s not like you’re losing your own money. This was all mine to begin with.” Dean shuffled the deck again. “And we’ve learned something else about you. You’re competitive, but you can’t bluff for shit.”

“I don’t like losing.”

“You do the puppy-eyed thing when your hand is crap.” Dean dealt another round. “Now let’s try this again.”

Sam grumbled and fidgeted but didn’t pick up his new cards. “I’d rather go back to reading.”

“Don’t think of it as losing, then. Think of it as learning! Bluffing is a good skill to learn.”

They spent the rest of the evening perfecting Sam’s poker face. No one came to give them any news about the Empire. They half-heartedly agreed that this meant things were fine. It got late, and they went to bed.

* * *

Some time in the wee hours of night, Dean woke with a start. He was instantly up out of bed and awake, looking and listening for what woke him. There was more light outside than he expected for this time of night, and he could hear people shouting in the distance. He woke Sam up and told him to get dressed in a hurry.

“There’s something going on out there. I’m going to go check it out. Grab our stuff and be ready to move.”

Once he was sure Sam was awake enough to understand, he slipped out the door. The guards were gone, and the inner ward was quiet. He made his way to roof to check the view. From up there, he could see that there was a fire at the outer wall.

Dean ran along the edge of the roof until he could see the commotion at the south entrance of the castle. There were two sets of Imperial magitek armor just outside the gates. A decorated Imperial officer stood between them, addressing the crowd at the gate. He could see Ellen behind a dozen of Harvelle guards. From the way she was dressed, she hadn’t been sleeping.

“Explain yourself!” she shouted over her soldiers. Years of public speaking gave her voice a resonance that carried over the destruction.

“Bring me the defector, now.” The Imperial’s voice carried as well, but unnaturally so. It sounded like he was right in front of Dean, and something about it stung the back of his mind. “Or else, enjoy the barbeque.” He motioned to the armor sets and they set jets of flame against the outer wall.

Dean saw Ellen say something to her guards, and they all retreated into the inner ring. The doors sealed shut behind them, and Dean decided to head back in as well.

Ash was waiting with Sam back at the room. Dean grabbed his bag. “What did you see?” Sam asked. “What’s going on?”

“They’re attacking the castle,” Dean said, taking his bag from Sam. Sam looked alarmed at the news. Dean turned to Ash. “What’s the plan?”

“Follow me,” he said, leading them away.

They ended up on a second floor walkway that led to the outer buildings. They had with a good view of the conflict to the south, though they could hide behind the crenelations. “Wait for Ellen’s signal,” Ash told them, “And be ready to jump. He headed back inside, turning down towards the workshops.

“Did he say jump?” Sam asked in disbelief. Dean nodded and watched the fire spread.

Once outside, the Imperial’s disembodied voice reached their ears easily. “The brave and noble queen abandons her people to save her own skin. How delightful,” he purred. Sam shuddered at the sound.

There was some squawking to the north, and Dean looked up to see Ellen riding a chocobo and rounding the corner. Two more of the giant birds followed her on leads. She caught his eye and gestured at him.

Dean pulled Sam to his feet and they both took up position on the edge of the wall. “Hope you’re in good shape,” he said as they raced under the arch. “One, two … Jump!”

They both leapt off the wall, Dean pulling Sam for timing. They miraculously landed square on the backs of the chocobos, though Sam’s stumbled a step under the weight. Ellen dropped the leads once they were on, and they headed out for the open desert. Once they were away from the castle, Ellen sent a flare up. An alarm rang from each tower, followed shortly by the grinding of large machinery.

“This is your plan?” Dean yelled. “Are we the bait?”

“Yup,” Ellen said, looking over her shoulder with a grin. The fire jets shut down as the sets of armor turned towards them. “While they’re after us, the castle sinks.”

“The castle sinks?” Sam gaped at her.

Dean laughed. “Yeah, it’s awesome. So the people will be safe, but what about us?

“Magitek armor doesn’t move well in the sand,” Ellen said. “We’ll outrun them.”

“Uh, no, we won’t,” Sam said. “They upgraded the last batch of armor for desert mobility.”

Ellen gave him a stricken look. She looked back to see the machines gaining on them. “Now you tell me this?”

Sam gave her a wide-eyed, helpless look. “I didn’t remember, not until I saw them. Those are mark 8.1 magitek. You can tell by the …”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s great that you’re remembering stuff,” Dean said, pulling up between Sam and Ellen, “but how do we fight them?”

“You don’t,” Ellen said, dropping back a length. “You get to South Harvelle and get to the Returners. Tell them what happened here.” She unhooked a wicked looking mechanical weapon from the back of her saddle and hefted it up with both hands. She steered the chocobo with her knees.

Dean gaped at her. “Are you nuts? You can’t fight them yourself.”

Her grin was more like a grimace. “I can buy you time to escape. Just do me a favor,” she said to Dean. “Find Jo for me. Bring her home.” She abruptly turned her her mount around and started back.

“Ellen!” Dean screamed after her. He slowed his mount and turned it around. Sam came up next to him, staring dumbstruck.

Once she had the enemy’s attention, Ellen hopped off her chocobo. She swatted the bird away and took aim with her weapon. The machines were still a little ways off, but closing fast. She took careful aim and arches popped out from the sides, with cords running back to the trigger. She fired at the closer machine. A half dozen bolts launched from the auto-crossbow, making a line up the chest of the armor. One wedged in the shoulder joint, but it only slowed for a moment in its advance.

“Oh, crap, she’s going to get herself killed,” Dean said, pulling at his hair. “Damn it, Ellen.” He gritted his teeth and turned to lead Sam away.

Sam kicked his chocobo into a dash and charged past him, towards the fight. Dean swore again and followed. “Get her clear,” Sam yelled over his shoulder. His steed flew past Ellen as the armor raised its flame throwers. Distracted by the second target, it sprayed flames between them. Ellen threw herself aside and Sam’s chocobo spooked, throwing him off. He landed in a roll and got back up dangerously close to the armor.

Dean and Ellen watched in horror as the armor swung its flame thrower back down at Sam. He raised a hand towards the damaged shoulder and grimaced in concentration. The machine shuddered with the sound of metal grinding on metal, and stopped. The bolt lodged in it frosted over. The plates near the joint bent outward, pushed by expanding shards of ice. Sam’s brought down his outstretched hand and made a fist, and the frost covered the entire suit. It held for a moment, then collapsed into a pile as the ice sublimated into steam.

“Did he just …” Ellen started. She fumbled for words.

“Quick, shoot the other one,” Dean said, shaking her shoulder. “Maybe he’ll do it again.” The second armor was still advancing. Sam’s chest heaved from exertion as he backed away from the wreck.

Ellen’s hands were shaking. “Dean, you don’t understand ...”

“Then give me that thing and I’ll shoot it!” Dean made a grab at her auto-crossbow, but she snatched it out of his reach. She took careful aim at the second machine and fired. This time, the bolts made a line up the middle of its chest. One wedged in the dark glass shell that protected its rider.

The armor turned its weapons towards Sam, and Dean started to run towards him. He was slowed by the sand, and watched as Sam turned to get behind the broken armor for cover. The flames hit it first and splashed out, barely missing Sam’s heels as he ran. Dean watched as fluid leaking from the broken armor caught on fire. He got to Sam and pulled him along, putting himself between Sam and the fire. They’d made it a few steps when the collapsed suit exploded, knocking them both down.

Dean felt the sting when a piece of shrapnel embedded itself in his back. He looked up and saw Ellen on her knees, reloading the auto-crossbow. Sam was pushing himself up to his feet and shouting at him, but he couldn’t hear over the ringing in his ears. Laying on the ground, he could feel the vibration of the remaining armor moving closer. He rolled onto his side and saw it coming closer.

Sam stepped over him and focused on it. His furrowed brow was sweating but his body was still as he stretched an arm out towards the armor. Lighting sprang up from his feet, danced and crackled along his arm, and shot out it. The electricity hit the crossbow bolts and arced between them. It leapt to each protruding piece of metal. The entire machine seized up and twisted in on itself, bending and breaking. The glass of the cockpit shattered as it collapsed.

Sam dropped to his knees, panting, just as Dean sat up. “That was awesome,” Dean whispered.

“You’re bleeding,” Sam said, gesturing at his back.

“Yeah, it happens. Stings like a bitch, too.”

“On your feet, boys,” Ellen said, folding up the crossbow. “We’ve still got to get out of here.”

Sam helped Dean up. They found the three chocobos gathered together on the other side of a dune. Ellen beat them there and was ready to ride by the time they limped up to her. “Dean’s hurt,” Sam said.

Ellen nodded and came over. Dean pulled his jacket off, trying not to wince. “It’s not that bad,” he said. She held up a light to his back to get a better look.

“It is, but we’ll have to hope you can hold out until morning,” she said, “Because we can’t stop here to fix it up.”

Sam took a look and grimaced, but then his eyes lit up. “Hold on, I can just …” He put a hand on either side of the wound, hovering just over the skin, and focused. Dean felt his back go numb and the shrapnel popped out of it. Sam shifted his hold so that one hand pinched the gash closed and the other waved back and forth over it. The skin knit itself back together and the cut slowly disappeared. “Better?”

“Yeah, man,” Dean said, rubbing the skin as the feeling came back. “That’s handy. How’d you do that?”

“Magic,” Ellen said. They looked back at her. She stared Sam down. “You can use magic. Another thing that would have been good to tell me.”

“Wait, that was real magic?” Dean looked back and forth between the two of them. “Like, real War-of-the-Magi magic?”

“You see any lightning guns on him? Yeah, that was real magic.” Ellen scoffed and hauled herself back onto her chocobo.

“I’m sorry, I …” Sam looked back towards Harvelle Castle, which had disappeared under the sand. “I didn’t know until I knew, you know? Is it weird?” He fumbled his way back onto his own mount.

Dean pulled himself up into the saddle and scratched his head. “Well, yeah, a little.”

“I’ve never seen so much of it done so easily,” Ellen said, kicking her chocobo into the lead. “Where did you learn it?”

Sam gave a dry chuckle, following her. “I’ll tell you when I remember.”

Dean brought up the rear. “It doesn’t matter though, right? I mean, it explains why they’re so desperate to find him. He’s not just your average magitek armor pilot.”

Ellen nodded and they rode on in silence for a while. They made it past the first landmark post, which was harder to spot at night. Ellen had them stop. She unlocked a box at the landmark and started some machinery. As they left to continue south, the landmark started sinking into the ground.

“So the Empire gets stuck in the desert,” Dean explained.

“We hope,” Ellen added.

“How will you find your way back, then?”

Ellen pointed at the starlit sky. “I can navigate. Won’t be so hard.”

Sam pulled a blanket out of his saddlebags and wrapped himself up in it. “How much further is it?”

“It’s a bit further to the passage to South Harvelle than it was from Roni Woods. We should see the edge of the desert around breakfast time.”

They rode on like this through the night, stopping at every landmark and disabling them. The desert gave way to scraggly plains a couple of hours after sunrise. Dean had them stop to rest the chocobos and eat.

“So,” Dean started, chewing on a piece of jerky. “When you were in Narshe, the Esper in the mines reacted to you, right?”

Sam shrugged. “I guess?”

“You think it was reacting to his magic?”

“Well, that’s the legend, right?” Dean took a drink from his canteen. “That with people with magic get it from Espers?”

They both looked at Sam, who shook his head at them. “I don’t know any more than you do. It just comes naturally.”

“But no human is born with powers like you have,” Ellen said.

Sam stopped eating and stared down at his hands. “You think I’m not human?”

“Hey, come on,” Dean said. “Sam’s as human as I am.”

Ellen clucked her tongue. “I didn’t mean it like that. More like the Empire must have done something to you.”

“I’m not sure that’s better,” Sam said.

“Well, regardless of how you got your powers, you have them now. Come with us to South Harvelle and meet the Returners.”

“Yeah, Bobby’s got tons of books on magic and stuff,” Dean added. “He can probably help you this out. And I know how much you like books.”

Ellen sighed. “How do you know about Bobby’s library and still not recognize magic when you see it?”

“Because I’m not a huge nerd,” Dean said, finishing up his breakfast. “We’re gonna keep riding, right?”

“For a bit, yeah. We can exchange the birds for fresh ones at the start of South Harvelle pass and ride on to town. We can get there before nightfall.”

Sam groaned as he got up. “Today is going to suck, isn’t it?”

“Well I’m sorry you’re missing out on your beauty sleep, but there’s a platoon of Imperial soldiers on our tail and South Harvelle needs to be warned. If this old lady can ride for a day on no sleep, so you can you.”

Dean grinned at Sam.. “I’m so glad I have you along. It’s nice to not be the one Ellen’s yelling at for once.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ellen Harvelle as Edgar Figaro  
> Ash as Figaro Castle Engineer  
> Dean Winchester as Locke Cole  
> Sam Winchester as Terra Branford  
> Rufus Turner as Arvis


	5. South Harvelle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio arrive in South Harvelle and plan a counterattack against the Empire. Sam hears a rumor. Ellen addresses her past.

They made it to the mountain pass and, as Ellen had predicted, on to South Harvelle before the next nightfall. They’d stopped only long enough for Ellen to mobilize the small garrison of troops at South Harvelle pass, sending out scouts into the desert and runners to Narshe. By the time they made it to the city, though, they were all exhausted. Ellen got the two of them a room at the inn and sent them off to rest while she powered on and called for an emergency town meeting with the mayor and captain of the town guard. Once she was convinced that they were up to speed, she retired to her own suite.

The next morning, Ellen spent some time bringing Dean and Sam up to speed. “The town has a division of the Harvelle Royal Army stationed here. They’re mobilizing to meet the Imperials as they come through the pass. I want you,” she said, nodding at Dean, “to go find your Returner contacts and get me a meeting with Bobby Singer. The Imperials felt confident enough to break the treaty and attack Harvelle. That wasn’t done rashly. We might have gotten the jump on them by getting away, but there is almost certainly a bigger attack planned. I need to get this region secure and I’ll need his help to do it. You good to tell him that?”

“I don’t think he’ll still be in South Harvelle,” Dean said, rubbing his chin. “But I can find out where he is and get a message through.” 

“I need to meet him, and check out the Returners resources. This is open war now, and we have to have get ourselves organized or we’re done.” She put her hands on Dean’s shoulders and turned him to meet her eyes. “I need you to understand that. I can’t have you running off doing your own thing here.”

“Find out where Bobby is. Get you a meeting. I got it.” They both glanced over to Sam. “So what am I doing with him? Taking him with me?” Sam stood up straight and tried to look like he’d been paying attention instead of browsing the books.

Ellen let out a long sigh. “Yeah, it’s probably better if he sticks with you. I don’t want to have to explain him to the people I’m meeting today. Can you handle that?” 

“Sure thing, ma’am,” Dean said, giving a little false salute. 

“Don’t sass me, boy.” She waved them both out. “Come back with answers.”

Ellen spent the rest of the morning in meetings. By lunchtime, she had met with the mayor again, and gotten together a list of people to send to Nikeah, Doma, and other cities on the northern continent. She had also started the process to move the center of government to South Harvelle. She had meetings that afternoon with their limited navy, mostly intending to arrange ships to sail to different regions of the continent. But they’d have to coordinate with the Returners to get things going, so Ellen was waiting on Dean’s news. She took a break for lunch and went down to the pub attached to the inn, intending to have a quiet meal and gather her thoughts. 

That plan went out the window when she saw the bearded, middle-aged man sitting at the bar.

She almost turned and left. His back was to her, and either he hadn’t seen her or he was pretending not to. But there was no way that he didn’t know she was here in town, so she readied herself to confront him. She approached the bar. The dog at his feet silently sat up at attention.

“John Winchester,” she said to his back. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

John sighed and sipped his drink slowly. He glanced at Ellen over his shoulder and nodded to the seat next to him. “You still drink malts? They’ve got a good brew here. But you know that already.”

Ellen took the seat and nodded at the bartender to get her a drink. “That’s right, I do.” John still didn’t look at her. “You know, a couple of years ago, I would’ve had you thrown in prison for showing your face here. Lucky for you, I have bigger issues right now.”

“So I’ve heard. The Imperials attacked, just like I always said they would.”

“Yeah, you said a lot of things about the Imperials.” The bartender delivered her drink and made herself scarce. “And you’ve been saying it for a long time. Well before you went with Bill off to the Empire, to try to broker a peace with them. Tell me, John, if you hated the Imperials so much, why did you go with him then?”

John stared at the row of bottles along the wall. “You know I was there to guard him.”

“I do know that. Did you?” Ellen sipped her beer. “His other bodyguards died with him, but not you. You found your way back, eventually.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “And all the Imperials said was what a tragic accident it was, with no explanation. Then you show up and we all thought we’d finally find out how the King died. But then you disappeared again.” 

“I’ve got no answers for you, Ellen.” 

“Oh, I’ve don’t need any answer from you, John. I’ve put it together myself, over the years. You had your own reason for going on that trip. And I don’t know what you did, but I can only assume it got my husband killed.” She glared at the side of John’s face. “You got anything to say on it?”

John stared into his glass. “Sounds like you’ve made up your mind on the subject.” 

“That’s about what I thought.” Ellen drained her drink. She spun around in her seat, getting up to leave.

“Ellen,” John said, looking up. “Who was in charge of the battalion that attacked Harvelle Castle?”

Ellen’s back went straight. “His name is Lieutenant General Azazel.”

“Magitek division?”

“One of their leaders, though he had some army with him. You know him?”

John looked at a spot past her, lost in thought. “What color were his eyes?”

“Yellow.” Ellen turned back to look at him. “That mean something to you?”

John stood up, leaving his drink behind. The dog followed at his heels. “He was following you from Harvelle Castle?”

“Don’t interfere with my army, John.” Ellen said angrily. “We’re in a war now. I don’t need you running your own game in the middle of it.” 

John left without another word. Ellen wondered if she was going to tell Dean that his father had been in town, and left again. There was a risk that he’d go after the man, if he thought this was another step in their revenge quest. She swore at herself and decided to wait and see.

* * *

Dean wasted little time getting through the regular Returner meeting places in town. At each one, he left a message with information for Bobby. On the way around town, he treated Sam like a tourist he was guiding around.

“So this is really New South Harvelle,” Dean said as they got lunch, “but no one calls it that.”

“What happened to Old South Harvelle? And what about North Harvelle?”

“North Harvelle is the castle. And Old South Harvelle was mostly destroyed in an earthquake generations ago. They rebuilt on top, which is why that side of town,” Dean said, gesturing north, “is up so much higher even though we’re coastal. There’s a big wall built up there that makes it defensible from northern invaders. This whole area used to be a bunch of separate villages but when the rebuilt happened, they all got …” He searched for a word.

“Assimilated?”

“Yeah, that. I guess. Further out villages moved here. The port grew, trade happened. You know, like it does.”

“You really know a lot about the history of the town,” Sam said, sounding impressed.

“It has its uses. Like that,” Dean pointed out a huge house, visible from the square. “That’s the oldest house in town, and the biggest. It mostly survived the earthquake, but they rebuilt on top of the ground floor so it’d match the new street level.”

“Who lives there now? Is it still in the same family?”

“Yeah, I think so. I think the guy is the head of the town guard. I don’t know him too well, though. I try to avoid his employees.” Dean winked. 

“Oh right. I get it. ‘Cause you’re a thief.” 

Dean frowned. “Treasure hunter,” he grumbled. 

After lunch, they moved on to the south part of town. “There’s a couple of shops and people to check in with, and it’ll be easier if I do it alone. Why don’t you hang out here?” He gestured at an open square that overlooked the docks. 

Sam agreed. Dean handed him a purse with some coins in it and told him to stay out of trouble. He sat on a bench and watched the ships for a while. It was quiet and the sound of gulls and waves felt like meditation, but it just brought up the uncomfortable blank spots in his memory. Frustrated, he got up to check out the stores on the edge of the square. 

He found a cafe and spent some coins getting some tea. It was easier to be on his own when there were people around to watch and listen to. 

Most of the gossip was about local issues, but then he heard the two women behind talking about the troop mobilizations and the Empire. He schooled his features and was careful not to look over to them. 

“Do you think we’re really going to war?” One asked.

“It was inevitable, wasn’t it?”

“They should get Mystic Barnes to join the troops. She’d turn the tide.”

“Oh, haven’t you heard?” The woman lowered her voice. “She’s dead.”

“What?” They spoke now in hushed whispers, but that just made Sam pay more attention. “How?”

“Murdered!” The other woman gasped. “By her own apprentice. It’s terrible.” 

They commiserated with each other about the oncoming war, but didn’t talk more about Mystic Barnes. Sam wondered if she was another magic user like him, but the women left before he made up his mind to ask them.

* * *

Dean’s search for Bobby turned up word that he’d retreated to the Returner hideout past Mt. Kolts, and had been gone for days. There was another Returner group headed that way that night, so Dean sent a message to them to contact him at the inn. He didn’t want the message to go through too many unknown hands, but he let them know it was urgent.

He picked up Sam on the way back to the inn, and took him back to bring Ellen the news. 

There was a guard outside Ellen’s suite, and he stopped them from interrupting. She had meetings all afternoon. 

“We’ll have to talk to her once my Returner contacts gets here,” Dean told Sam. 

“So we’re hanging out here until then?”

“Pretty much, yep.” 

The Returners arrived first. The pair introduced themselves as Tamara and Isaac. They explained that they were heading out of town, going past Mt. Kolts to the secret Returner base. Dean knew of them but hadn’t met them before. He sent Sam to let Ellen know they were there.

“We’re from Doma, originally,” Tamara explained. “But after the Returners brokered their deal there, we joined up and came out this way. It’s been quite a ride so far.”

Dean nodded. “We’ll get you in to see Queen Ellen tonight. She’ll want to send a specific message to Bobby, so she might as well tell you herself.”

“Is it true then?” Isaac asked. “Harvelle is finally joining the Returners officially?”

“Given that the Empire attacked Harvelle Castle last night, yeah, I’d say so.” 

“That’s pretty brazen of them,” Tamara said. 

Sam returned then, along with Ellen. Tamara and Isaac stood and started to bow, but she shushed them. “Thank you for getting out of that meeting. I’ve been stuck talking to the captain of the guard for hours. So you two are going to see Bobby Singer?”

“Yes, in the morning.” Isaac said. 

Tamara eyed Sam. “Who’s he? Has he been vetted?”

Dean nodded. “Yes, he’s with me.”

Ellen cleared her throat. “Can I continue?” Dean and Tamara turned their attention back to her and nodded. “Good. I’ve got a number of things to discuss with him, mostly regarding troop movements and fortification. Do you think you can get him to come back here?”

Isaac sucked in a breath. “Not if there’s an Imperial garrison on the way. It’s not safe. And he’ll want to coordinate Returner communications between here and Nikeah.”

“We can run messages, though,” Tamara added. “There are enough Returners moving between here and there that we can get a response right away.”

“How long does it take to get there?”

“About three days, if you travel light,” Dean said. 

Ellen shook her head. “Too slow. We need to coordinate with Doma and Kolingen, too. I need to send out delegates now, and know that they’ve got someone to meet on the other side.” She sighed. “Not to mention that we’ll need reinforcements here. Are there Returner troops in this base?”

Isaac nodded. “It’s a central base. The troops are mostly trained for espionage, but there will be plenty to mobilize.” 

Ellen nodded and sat down at the desk. She pulled out paper and a pen and started writing. “I’ll send information with you, but I think our best bet will be for me to go and meet with Singer in person. I’ll need a day or two to finalize things here, and then Dean can show me the way.” 

Isaac and Tamara exchanged glances with each other, and then with Dean. Dean shrugged at them. “Are you sure about that, ma’am?” Dean asked. 

“The mayor will be able to coordinate things from here for a week or so. We’ve got enough troops at the pass already that we should be able to hold off the Imperials there. I’ll bring back more direct news from the Returners and maybe some reinforcements, too.” She finished writing and folded it over. “I’ll go put a seal on this and get it back to you.” She got up and left the room.

Tamara and Isaac sighed in unison. Sam looked at both of them. He’d been quietly sitting in the corner of the room, absorbing the information. Tamara turned her attention back to him. “So who is this guy, anyway? Other than ‘with you,’ I mean.”

Sam shifted in his seat. “Uh, I’m Sam ...”

Dean put his hand up to interrupt him. “He’s probably in that note Ellen is writing. Bobby will decide how much of it to share.”

The couple shared another wary glance. “That right?” Isaac asked. “He going with you and the queen?”

Dean shrugged. “That’s still to be decided.” 

Ellen returned then, and handed a sealed envelope to Tamara. “Get this to Singer as quick as you can. We’ll be able to leave the day after you, so he should expect us.” The pair nodded and excused themselves. 

“Am I coming with you?” Sam asked when the door had shut.

Ellen glanced at Dean, who shrugged. “That’s up to you,” she said gently. “It might be safest.”

Sam fidgeted. “You don’t think it’ll be safe in town?”

Dean got up to pace. “I have to go with Ellen to show her the way. You can stay here, but you’re not going to know anyone. And pretty soon this town will be at war and everyone will know it. We can invent a backstory for you, but it might be difficult if people find out you used to be an Imperial. I’m not sure who to trust with that. Ellen?” 

Ellen nodded. “That’s just what I was thinking. Dean is the person you know best at this point, right? It might just be easiest to stick with him, until you remember more.” 

Sam nodded. “Is it ok if I don’t decide right now? I mean, are we going to have to run in the middle of the night again?”

Dean chuckled. “I’m not a psychic, man. I can’t say.” Sam frowned at him.

Ellen reached over and patted Sam’s knee. “You’re pretty safe here for now. Let me know tomorrow if you want to come with us.” She got up and nodded to the both of them. “I’ve got a couple more meetings tonight so you two take care of yourselves, all right?” She let herself out.

After she’d left, Dean flopped onto his bed. “Well, this is a wild ride. I thought we’d be staying here a little longer.” 

Sam stared at him. “You think I should go with you, don’t you?” 

Dean sighed. “Yeah, I do. I think you should meet with Bobby. He’s like an uncle to me and he’d give you better advice than I can.” 

“You don’t think he’ll be a little biased?”

“As what, pro-Returner? Yeah, no shit. But if you decide to be neutral, he’ll know where you can go to stay out of this mess. You wouldn’t be the first refugee he’s placed.” 

Sam got up and went to the window. He watched people closing up their shops for the day. “I guess I better go with you,” he said. Dean sat up. “I mean, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I think I’m doing ok with you.” 

Dean grinned and got up. “Well, all right, then.” He slapped Sam’s arm and grabbed his jacket. “Let’s go get some dinner and supplies.”

“Supplies? Won’t everything be closed?” 

“You just gotta know where to look, Sammy.”

Sam grumbled. “It’s Sam,” he said, following Dean out of the room.

* * *

Dean took Sam around to a series of underground shops, introducing him to people he knew who dealt with hard-to-acquire goods. There was no mention of the Returners while they were out. They got back late and slept in the next morning.

Meanwhile, Ellen her arrangements. She called the mayor in to tell him that she was leaving for a quick trip. She asked him to keep it quiet until she was on her way. They put together a list of diplomats to send out while she was gone, so she could know exactly who to tell the Returners to expect in each place. They did another review of regional troop movements and supplies. 

Dean and Sam were up by lunchtime and they all ate together. They gave her the rundown of the supplies they’d gotten. It was mostly some interesting weapons. Dean had found someone who’d worked with Ash on her auto-crossbow and had another for her with some modifications. “It might be a rough trip,” he said. “Better to be prepared.” 

The afternoon was spent in more meetings, this time about the plans to defend South Harvelle. Ellen didn’t see any reason to make major changes to them, but the captain of the guard wanted to go over them in detail, again. By dinner time, her schedule was clear and Dean had gotten the rest of their supplies. They set out on chocobos late that night and made it to the base of Mt. Kolts the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Running Character list:  
> Azazel as Kefka Palazzo stand-in #1  
> John Winchester as Shadow  
> Ellen Harvelle as Edgar Figaro  
> Ash as Figaro Castle Engineer  
> Dean Winchester as Locke Cole  
> Sam Winchester as Terra Branford  
> Rufus Turner as Arvis


End file.
